Malbec is the forgotten child of the wine family. Additionally, the Argentinian grape varietal is one of the oldest known to have become a winemaking powerhouse, and people enjoy it worldwide.
Of course, Malbec is much more than that – you might even say it’s an adventure. So our guide will take you to the four best options to experience Argentina’s favourite grape for yourself in Australia!
So enjoy a glass with your friends and family as you savour these hand-selected options for the best malbec wine in Australia we gathered just for you!
4 Best Malbec Wines Australia
1. Bleasdale Second Innings Malbec 2020
An exceptional value for red wine lovers, this Award-Winning Malbec from Langhorne Creek is a well-priced, trophy-winning example of one of the world’s most popular grape varieties.
Full and fruity on the nose, it opens with a hint of bay leaf, green herb, and milk chocolate. Furthermore, the palate is rich, with vibrant plum and blackcurrant fruit playing against subtle green herbs and mocha nuances.
In addition, this wine is ripe and ready to enjoy now, but you can also cellar it for another 2-4 years for elegance and complexity.
Pros
- Medium-bodied
- Langhorne Creek region
- Best with barbequed chimichurri mushrooms
- Best from now to 2026
- 13.50% alcoholic
Cons
- Not much aged
- The taste may not be too mature
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2. Mitolo the Jester Malbec 2019
Good things come in small packages. Mitolo the Jester is a delicate but flavoursome, juicy red-purple wine with a velvety tannin backbone, ideal for barbeque dishes.
Lush ripe dark cherry fruit dominates, along with blackcurrant, cedar, pepper, and anise nuances on the nose and palate. Moreover, the wine is full-body structured yet smooth, with intense hints of dark berries, black cherry, and savoury tannin depth that fill out a rich lingering finish.
Pros
- Full-bodied
- McLaren vale region
- Matches with sticky spare ribs
- Best from now to 2026
- 14.50% alcoholic
Cons
- It might feel more mid-weighted than full-bodied
- The sophisticated palate might find it underwhelming
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3. Zonte’s Footstep Violet Beauregard Malbec 2020
A single vineyard wine from the heart of Southern Australia’s Langhorne Creek region, Zonte’s Footstep Violet Beauregard Malbec 2020 is a seriously stylish addition to any wine collection.
Aromas of black cherry, plum, and cherry oak greet the nose, but the dark juicy fruit flavours dominate. Luxuriously rich but with fine acidity for balance, this Malbec is bursting with ripe tannin notes and kitchen spice making it wonderful to drink now.
Pros
- Fuller-bodied
- Langhorne Creek region
- Barbequed field mushrooms with balsamic and olive oil
- Best from now to 2028
- 13.00% alcoholic
Cons
- Wine may taste ordinary for eminent drinkers
- It may have too little alcohol content
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4. First Creek Limited Release Malbec 2021
First Creek is a new wine label created by the most respected wineries in the Hunter Valley. Based on the Central Ranges of NSW, the First Creek Malbec 2021 is a delicious mid-weight red with good balance and complexity, presented in an elegant bottle with a debossed cap.
Furthermore, First Creek is a traditional Malbec made in the purest wine style – an elegant wine with a rich, concentrated fruit forward and soft tannins. In addition, its deep crimson colour and potent aromas of prune and pepper slowly fade into graphite, bracken, powerhouse style. Thus, try it with an aged steak, lamb ragout, or empanadas.
Pros
- Full-bodied
- Central ranges region
- Best from now to 2028
- 13.50% alcoholic
- Pair with empanadas, lamb ragout
Cons
- Not so strong
- Not well aged
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What to Look For in a Malbec Wine?
Even though there are wide varieties of Malbec wine, each type has unique traits. So once you have tried your first bottle and determined if you like it, it’s essential to know what characteristics make up a good Malbec wine.
● Region Specific
If you love Malbec, you’ll want to try this domain-specific wine from the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo regions in Mendoza.
For other locations producing world-class Malbec wines, look for France, Cahors, and Walla Walla on the Washington / Oregon border.
● Tech Notes
Malbec is a bold and flavorful varietal that can show many nuances depending on the climate and soil where it is grown. And its acidity (sourness) is usually 5 to 7 g/L, while pH varies from 3.65 to 3.75. Moreover, it also has very little residual sugar, less than 1 g/L.
● Cellar Aging
Malbec wines make excellent ageing wines, and there’s a high value placed on these wines. In fact, most Malbec wines are aged anywhere from 15–24 months before release to allow the wine to develop and improve in quality over time. Therefore, when you drink a Malbec, you can rest assured that you are drinking an excellent wine with investment behind it.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Malbec wine?
Malbec is a bold red grape grown in Argentina, Chile, and France. And often finds use in making Cabernet-style wines with a deep colour and rich flavour. It has also found use as a blending grape.
Moreover, it has a deep purplish colour and is famous for its full body. And the grapes are small and dark, with very thick skins. In addition, Malbecs are also famous for their moderate tannin content, making them great for food pairings with steak or other meat dishes. Furthermore, it packs a punch at roughly 15% ABV that can sneak up on you.
Malbecs can be dry or sweet, often mixed with blending grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, or Merlot to create balanced wines with black cherry or plum notes.
2. Malbec vs. Shiraz – what is the difference?
Malbec and Shiraz (aka Syrah) are not just two different grape varietals—they’re two different wine-producing regions, too. Both are indigenous to the same part of the world: France.
However, Malbec is more famous in Argentina, while Shiraz is a revered variety in France and South Australia, especially in Clare valley.
Also, they’re made in two ways, making them distinctly different!
Shiraz and Malbec are classic red wines, but they have unique flavour profiles. In comparison, Shiraz has a spicy, sometimes smoky finish, and Malbec has more classic aged red wine flavours with hints of blackcurrant, plum, dark chocolate, and vanilla that vary depending on age and region.
3. Which wine is similar to Malbec?
If you’re looking for a wine similar to Malbec, try Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. As both are red wines featuring grapes often present in blends with malbecs because they share some common characteristics.
4. What is the malbec taste profile?
You can describe Malbec’s flavour profile as “rich” and “full-bodied,” with notes of blackberry, plum, cherry, tobacco, and earthy flavours. Moreover, the wine is typically aged in new American oak barrels for up to 18 months before bottling.
Conclusion
Malbec is a smooth, tactile and sophisticated wine with an intense purple colour, enhanced by its full-body flavour. And in this article, we walked you through the best malbec wine in Australia.
So if you love a fine Malbec, we hope you’ll appreciate every single option in this guide!
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